Leichhardt winning turf war with Campbelltown

Michael Chammas

Almost 25,000 more fans have attended Leichhardt Oval home games compared to Campbelltown Sports Stadium since 2012.

On average Leichhardt Oval has attracted almost 3000 more supporters than the venue in Sydney's south west, raising doubts over the future of the Wests Tigers in Campbelltown.

Saturday night's disappointing crowd of 6546 at Campbelltown against the Cowboys was well below the 16,311 that turned out to Leichhardt Oval in pouring rain a week earlier to witness one of the club's best victories against Manly.

Sunday afternoon matches at Leichhardt Oval have averaged 18,800 since 2012, while games in the similar time slot at Campbelltown have attracted an average of 11,387.

While many fans in Campbelltown have argued the opposition team is a factor in the crowd figure, it cannot be used as an excuse given five non-Sydney teams have featured at both grounds in the nine games played since the start of 2012.

The crowd averages at Leichhardt would likely be higher if the club's previous management had not played all four games at the ground last year at night, given the success of afternoon games at the iconic venue.

Advertisement

"We’ve worked closely with the NRL in 2014 to make sure that we have the 'right game, right venue, right time' strategy," chief executive Grant Mayer said.

"Whilst we'd like to think we've perfected it, there's obviously some additional work that needs to be done."

The Tigers recently signed a 10-year deal with ANZ Stadium to play at least four games at the Olympic Stadium each year, however that could increase if the club decides to abandon one or both of the suburban grounds.